Chittaranjan Das

Chittaranjan Das or C.R.Das, a Bengali lawyer and a key figure in the Indian independence movement was born on November 5th 1870. He was fondly referred to as Deshbandhu. He pursued his education in England.

He published a newspaper known as the Forward that later changed its title to Liberty to fight the British Raj. Das became the 1st mayor when the Calcutta Corporation was formed. He even presided over the Gaya session of the Indian National Congress (INC). He was a strong supporter of national education, non-violence as well as adoption of constitutional methods for attainment of Independence.

His collection of poems known as 'Sagar Sangeet' reflects his genius as a poet. His wife Basanti Devi was regarded as 'Ma' by the radical national leader Subhash Chandra Bose.